At a recent community meeting, Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand made his position on gun ownership crystal clear.
The Mayor stated that the community needs to begin “shaming” gun possession and went so far as to say, “If you’ve got a gun you should be ashamed of yourself.”
Let that sink in.
The sitting Mayor of Michigan’s second-largest city believes law-abiding citizens exercising a fundamental constitutional right should feel shame.
That statement is not just offensive, it is also very revealing.
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms Is Not a Source of Shame
The right to keep and bear arms is not granted by politicians. It is protected from them.
Both the United States Constitution and the Michigan Constitution recognize that the right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental, individual right. Millions of Michigan residents own firearms for self-defense, hunting, sport shooting, and the protection of their families.
These are not criminals.
They are parents.
They are small business owners.
They are single mothers.
They are veterans.
They are your neighbors.
To suggest they should feel ashamed for exercising a constitutional right is an attempt to stigmatize lawful behavior instead of addressing criminal conduct.
Shaming Gun Owners Is a Political Strategy
When gun control advocates cannot immediately pass new restrictions, they often turn to cultural pressure. The strategy is simple:
- Normalize hostility toward gun ownership.
- Portray gun possession as socially unacceptable.
- Lay the groundwork for future restrictions.
“Shaming” lawful gun owners is not about public safety, rather it is about shifting the culture.
Criminals do not feel shame about committing crimes.
Violent offenders do not worry about social stigma.
Only law-abiding citizens are affected by this kind of rhetoric.
The Real Issue: Criminal Misuse, Not Lawful Ownership
If the concern is violent crime, the focus should be on criminals. As is typical of the anti-gun left, these are the same politicians calling for the early release of violent felons and other soft-on-crime policies while wanting to throw Michiganders in prison for just owning certain firearms.
When elected officials treat the presence of guns, rather than criminal behavior, as the root problem, it signals support for policies that restrict rights instead of punishing criminals.
What This Means Going Forward
Mayor LaGrand’s comments leave little ambiguity.
He does not view gun ownership as a protected liberty to be respected.
He views it as something that should carry social shame.
For those who believe the Second Amendment is non-negotiable, statements like these are a warning sign.
The right to keep and bear arms is not a suggestion.
It is not conditional on political approval.
And it is certainly not something to be ashamed of.
Gun owners in Michigan should take note.
LaGrand said the quiet part out loud that many anti-gun politicians in Lansing and Washington, D.C. are thinking.
And if anti-gun Democrats take back complete control of Lansing in November, you better believe that they’ll work to shame you out of gun ownership or work to pass laws that criminalize the possession of firearms.